Amnesia
by Anne O'Nimmous
Summary: An adventure told from the 11th Doctor's point of view as he tries to track down whatever stole Amy and Rory's memories and make it give them back. DISCLAIMER: I do not own Doctor Who or any of its characters, nor do I claim to.
1. Chapter 1

"What do you want?"

I turned to look at the vibrant redhead, curious. "What do you mean?"

Her hazel eyes fixed me with a cold stare. "Exactly what I said. What do you want?"

I was just thinking that I had no idea what she was talking about, or in fact who and where I was or what I was doing, when my mouth opened and I replied. "I want my screwdriver."

My brows furrowed in confusion. "Do I? Yes I do. How extraordinary. Which screwdriver's that, then?"

She'd gone pale- well, paler, which made her freckles stand out- but her mouth was set in a stubborn frown. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes you do, don't lie. I can always tell when you're lying." Again, my mouth had surprised the rest of me. "Why does it keep doing that?" I wondered quietly.

She lifted her head, out of equal parts quiet fear and pure orneriness. "I'm not lying."

But she wasn't on my mind anymore. Not that she was boring, there was just other stuff that needed looking at. I turned around to inspect the room. Apparently I was standing in the living room of a small house. Ah yes, standing. With my legs. I had legs? Yes, I did. Brilliant!

Back to the room- it was a nice place. Tidy. Looked like it belonged to a young married couple, probably with a baby. But something felt... wrong. Out of place. Why? What was it? I leaned forward to inspect a fascinating painting and was just turning around to speak to the redhead when something hard connected with my skull. Quite forcefully, too, might I just say.

I had scarcely begun to realize this when my legs began to wobble and I fell, sinking into the depths of oblivion. But a question was trying to form in my shutting-down brain.

What-?


	2. Chapter 2

When I woke up, I sat up right away. Rather, I tried to. All I succeeded in doing was giving myself a massive headache and discovering that I was handcuffed, leaned against the wall in a sitting position. A cable was threaded through the cuffs and attached to a metal hook cemented into the floor. It appeared that I was no longer lying in the main room, but sitting in some sort of basement. There wasn't much to look at but boxes and gray walls. Unless you counted the man sitting halfway up the basement steps.

He was young, a bit skinny, all in all rather unremarkable.

Except for the fact that he was dressed in the full armor of an ancient Roman centurion, and had a naked sword laid across his knees. He was obviously keeping watch (over me, presumably) and when I moved he sent an angry glare in my direction.

"What did you do to my wife?" he demanded.

When I blinked blankly at him, he continued scathingly. "You know who I'm talking about. What did you do to her? She couldn't stop crying."

His wife? Who was- "Ah. The redhead? Beautiful girl. Lucky you." I winked cheerily at him.

Which I belatedly realized was not, in fact, a good idea. His expression could only be described as wrathful. He started to rise, holding his sword in a rather convenient position for stabbing with.

"Not that I noticed," I said quickly. "Nope. Never noticed, not one bit. Because that would be quite foolish of me, wouldn't it? It might incite her wonderful, protective husband to do something... rash."

Somewhat mollified, he kept his position on the stairs, though he did not sit back down. "That's right, it would," he said, making an effort to keep his voice calm. "So I'll ask again. What did you do to her?"

My voice rose a bit, indignantly. "Oi! What did I do to _her?_ More like what did _she_ do to _me!_ She hit me, you know. One moment I'm standing there wondering what's going on and the next, I wake up here. Why did she hit me? Who are you?" My brows furrowed again. "And why are you dressed as a Roman anyway? You look..." his sword's gleam caught my eye, and the word 'ridiculous' died on my lips. "...er, impressive."

"That's sort of the point," he admitted. For a moment, I caught a tiny glimpse of the awkward, kindhearted young man behind the angry Roman centurion. Then the Roman was back, and took a couple of steps down the stairs. Towards me. With a sword. Not a plastic costume one, either. That _couldn't_ be good. My mind was working furiously now. That Roman was dangerous, kind young man or no! I needed to get out- there _must_ be a way to escape.

"She hit you because she walked into the living room and found a burglar standing there. You're lucky it wasn't me- I would have gone right for my sword... well, probably." The last bit was mumbled, barely audible, but it would have made me smile in a different situation. He sounded like a reluctant schoolboy.

I spared him a puzzled glance. "No. You wouldn't have hurt me. Look, I'm unarmed! Almost literally, the way you've got me handcuffed."

His expression darkened, and he inadvertently tightened his grip on his sword. "Listen, and understand one thing. There is _nothing_ that I would not do to protect my wife and our child. Now answer my questions, or I promise you I'm going to do something you'll regret. Who are you, and why were you in our house?"

...and the reluctant schoolboy was gone again. Well then. Better think long and hard on this one, because that's one promise I was hoping he wouldn't have to keep. Think, you wonderful brain! There must be_ something_ in there! But no, of course there wasn't.

Fine. That was just wonderful, wasn't it? I was going to get stabbed by a man with a fashion sense that was two thousand years out-of-date.


	3. Chapter 3

Instead of trying to make something up, I decided to try honesty. That usually worked, right?

"You'll probably be just as surprised by this answer as I am, but-" I stopped, confused as a thought came to mind, quiet yet insisting. "I'm... I'm a doctor? No, that's not quite right. Not just 'a' doctor. I'm _the_ Doctor. But what does that mean? _The_ Doctor? Doctor who?" I looked up to meet the young centurion's eyes, to see my confusion mirrored there, mixed with no small amount of alarm.

But _he_ shouldn't alarmed. He was the one with a weapon, for goodness' sake! "You can trust me."

A quiet, bemused laugh escaped him. "_Trust _you? Why in the world would I trust a nutter who broke into my house?"

"You tell me. Why would I trust a nutter who's dressed like a soldier from ancient Rome?"

Blast. There was my mouth, going on again without any consideration for my health. But the Roman didn't seem too bothered by my comment. Instead he looked rather conflicted for a moment, then pulled something from his belt and showed it to me. "What is this?"

My hands automatically went to my coat pocket, though I had no idea what the object was. "Is that mine? That's funny; I've never seen it before. But it looks like a screwdriver."

The Roman's eyebrows shot up, while mine furrowed again. "No. No, it doesn't. It doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to a screwdriver. Why would I say that, something so stupid? Didn't I used to be clever? I haven't the faintest clue, which is really aggravating, mind you. Overall, this day has been a rather confusing one. And painful. Your wife- whose looks I did _not_ notice, so please stop pointing that sword at me- has one heck of an arm. She's given me quite a headache."

A fond smile crept onto his face. "I don't doubt it. She's a tough woman, my Amy."

"Pond?"

His smile abruptly vanished, replaced by a scowl. "How do you know that?"

Good question, Mr. Pond.

I wracked my brain and was not much surprised- but still rather annoyed- to find that, like everything else today, I did not know.

"That's becoming very annoying," I muttered. "I don't know. It just popped out. Give me a minute to figure it out- my mind's still working on it. I'll get it eventually."

I strained to think- why did this man seem so familiar, and how did I know his wife's name? Then my mouth took off again, this time bringing forth some actually useful information.

"And you're... Rory. Rory! Yes you are. You're the Rory that married Pond. I was there. Was I really? Oh, yes! I remember the dancing, ah, such fun! I was there when we lost your daughter, too. But that's all cleared up, don't worry. I got her back. Got her back," my happy chatter stopped suddenly, and my next words were slow, almost painful. "...in my magic... blue... box."

Rory's eyes narrowed, but I hardly noticed. I was too busy hyperventilating as all my memories came flooding back. Over nine hundred years' worth. I hunched over in mental anguish that bordered on physical torture. It's quite possible that I made some agonized sound, because Rory sheathed his sword and called up the stairs. "Amy, call an ambulance!"

"NO!" I shouted, my voice unusually harsh. It took more effort than I'd thought it would. "No ambulance. The- the hospital, they'd never believe it, and who knows what would- what... oh, God, they'd probably try to dissect me."

"Never mind, dear."

"Make up your mind, Rory Williams. Does someone need an ambulance or not?"

"He said no, but I don't-"

"Rory! You're a nurse, for heaven's sake! Does he really need an ambulance?"

He gave me a sideways glance. "Er, I don't think so. I mean, he's- he'll be fine."

I showed him a thumbs-up, holding my aching head in my other hand. "That's the spirit. I just need time for everything to- _augh!_"

I slid sideways against the wall, ending up on the cold, hard floor. I curled up into a ball instinctively, as if _that_ could help. There was definitely physical pain now, and lots of it. That wasn't good, not even a bit. In fact, it was very not good. It felt like someone was reaching into the pit of my stomach and twisting my guts around. Like someone was shoving a burning torch into my hearts. Like someone had an iron hold on my skull and were steadily tightening their grip.

I couldn't- it had to stop. I felt like a child, hurting and helpless to do anything about it.

_Stop, please!_

_STOP!_


	4. Chapter 4

Sowly, the pain began to recede. The relentless flow of memories ebbed too, until I'd finally caught up. Suddenly I realized that Rory was kneeling next to me. I also found tears drying on my face, put there by mental, emotional, and physical pain. I pulled myself up to a sitting position. It felt like some mysterious, intangible yet enormous weight had been lifted from me, replaced by the comforting mantle of my identity. The Doctor. Breathing a weary, contented sigh, I carefully leaned my head back and closed my eyes. I was so bloody _tired_.

"Amelia Pond and Rory Williams... Of course she would bring me here."

"Who?" inquired Rory. Good question. I missed his good questions.

"The Tardis," I murmured, still feeling drained. "She knows how much you two meant to me. Something must have happened, something that put you two in danger. So I must have erased both your memories, all the ones about me anyway, and put you safe at home. But then the whatever-it-was caught up with me, tried to kill me. The Tardis brought me here, unfortunately not before I'd lost my own memory. No, not lost- erased. Did I erase my own, too? Must have. But I left the sonic with you, so I must have known that I'd need me back. And what safer place to leave it than with the Ponds? So I did the smartest thing I could think of, and then the Tardis was clever enough to pop off somewhere she wouldn't be noticed. So where is she hiding?"

I opened my eyes. Rory had stepped away, much as he would from an angry dog. He was looking at me like I was a complete raving madman. Which, for all he knew, I could be. I met his gaze and held it.

"Rory, I know you," I said, determination in my voice. But something else, too. Friendship. Genuine warmth, and worry. "You and Pond. Amelia. You grew up in Leadworth together. You've always loved her, and always will. You love her so much that you spent nearly two thousand years watching over her, waiting and waiting for her to wake up again."

Rory looked really confused now. I knew he could tell that I wasn't lying. But that didn't mean he thought I was telling the truth. I pressed him, hoping that he could recover at least a glimmer of his memories.

"Why do you think you kept that outfit anyway? It was just for a silly costume party," I continued, refusing to back down. There are few things more stubborn than I am when there's a friend of mine at stake. Ah, but when it's friends, plural? I'll dig my heels in until the end of time if need be.

"And why d'you think it's so worn? You wore it as the Last Centurion. Guarding Amelia from harm. For _two thousand years! _How could you lose all that? It must have been one heck of a memory wipe I gave you."

"The Last Centurion?" he said, even more confused than he had been. "That's just a local myth. Like the Loch Ness monster. And I kept it because I like it. It helps intimidate mad burglars."

"What about that gladius? Just popped off to the local blacksmith and picked it up, did you? No. You and Pond traveled with me. It was for so long... Why can't you remember anything?"

Poor Rory looked like he was having trouble deciding whether to take my temperature or hit me over the head and call the mental institute. Fortunately for me he did neither, merely sitting down on the stairs, head in hands as if this were the longest day of his life. You and me both, Pond.

"Who are you?" he asked again, wearily.

"I've told you already. Weren't you listening? I'm the Doctor. You know, Amelia's imaginary friend as a child- the Raggedy Doctor. She used to make you dress up as him. Well, me."

"I don't know what you're talking about."


	5. Chapter 5

A chill went down my spine. What had happened, that I had erased their memories so completely? Or had I? I sat bolt upright, ignoring the complaints lodged by my neck and back.

"What if I didn't do it? What if something else did? Oho_ho!_ That's it! Something ate our memories! We've got to find the Tardis and work out what it is." I raised my head and shouted upwards. "Amelia! Amelia Pond!"

After a moment, there was a reply from upstairs. "How do you know my name? If you've hurt my husband, I swear I will-"

"No, no, Pond, he's fine! Well, other than some missing memories. But I can fix that. Maybe. Look, I need to find the Tardis! Do you know where it is? No, don't think about it. Just answer."

Her voice was rather cross by this point. "I don't even know _what_ it is! How would I know- it's in the park across the street? Rory, what's going on?"

I grinned exuberantly. "Yowzah! That's the Pond I know. Come on Rory- toss me the sonic, will you?"

He looked up at that. "You think I'm gonna give you your... thing, so you can do who knows what with it? You're mad."

"Oh, for- didn't I tell you it's all right? Trust me. I'm the Doctor."

Seemingly of its own volition, his hand moved upward, flinging the sonic screwdriver in my direction. I managed to snatch it out of the air, smiling at his bewilderment. "See? Your deepest instincts are to trust me, even though your so-called higher mind thinks you shouldn't." By now I had unlocked the cuffs and stood up, straightening my bowtie. As I passed him, I clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it. Again."

Before Rory could collect himself enough to react, I was upstairs. "Hello, Pond. I do hope you'll refrain from hitting me again, with- is that a cricket bat? Oh, this takes me back to the old days; it's just like when we first met! Ha_ha!_ Anyway, can't stop to chat, have to find the Tardis. You and Rory should definitely stay here. It's so hard to get a good babysitter on short notice, and your daughter is much too important to leave in incompetent hands. Bye!"

I was worried about what had happened, but even so, I felt no small amount of satisfaction in Amy and Rory's flabbergasted expressions. It was just so childishly _fulfilling _to leave someone utterly confused! But where was the Tardis?

"Come on, sweetie," I murmured as I crossed the street, looking about the park.

Aha! And there she was, tucked aside and looking the perfectly innocent public telephone. Running my hands along the smooth, time-worn planks, I gave a soft laugh. "Oh, you clever thing."

The young woman who was at that moment attempting to open the door froze and gave me a peculiar look. It seemed I'd been getting a lot of those lately. After a moment's surprised silence all around, we both asked the same question at the same time.

"What are you doing?"


	6. Chapter 6

We traded suspicious glances, until I decided that I didn't have time for this right now. "All the time in the world, and it's never enough," I mused. Then I flashed the raven-haired girl a smile. "I've missed this box, I have. It's an old friend, you could say."

"Uh-huh. Is that why you were stroking it?"

"I was not _stroking_- well, what were _you_ doing, eh? It's my box."

She raised an eyebrow and pointed to the sign that quite clearly said 'public'. "Really?"

I glared at the Tardis. "You couldn't have gotten stuck as something else, now could you? Had to be cool."

"...and now you're talking to it."

"Her. Definitely a her. All ships are hers. Anyway, you didn't answer my question. What were you doing to my box?"

To my amazement, her cheeks flushed, and she lowered her voice bashfully. "I know it's just for emergency calls, but I wanted to have a look inside. I love old things. They have so many stories to tell."

Hm. Maybe I did have time for this. "You wouldn't believe the stories I could tell you about this box."

She looked skeptical. "Right."

I smiled cryptically and pulled the key out of my pocket, then pushed the door open and entered. Frowning, she followed me inside. "Why does the sign say 'pull to open' if it-" she broke off, completely forgetting the rest of her sentence. Her blue-grey eyes grew wide enough to show the whites all around, and she made a couple of odd choking sounds, then backpedaled so fast that she tripped and fell.

Standing in the doorway, I offered her a hand up. She took it, looking dazed. "What is- how did you..." trailing off into silence, she walked a circle around the Tardis. I fought a sigh. They always did that.

She seemed to be returning to normal. Her eyes were no longer in danger of falling out, her eyebrows no longer lost in her wildly curly hair. She opened her mouth, and I knew what she was going to say. They always said the same thing. Which was a little bit boring, to be honest.

"So. What about those stories?"

An irrepressible grin spread across my face. "I think I'm going to like you."

She was about to reply when I heard a shout from behind her. "Doctor, wait!"

I peeked around the girl in front of me. Amy was running toward us. "Oh, no. No no no no _no!_"

Grabbing the girl's wrist, I whisked her into the Tardis. I ran straight to the console and started firing it up, not sparing a glance for the puzzled young woman. "Close the door!"

She did, and we were soon on our way. Once we were somewhere- and some_when_- else, I brought the Tardis to a halt. The girl was trying to look out the windows, but wasn't quite tall enough. The ride had gone so smoothly this time that I didn't think she'd even noticed we moved. "Ex-girlfriend?" she asked dryly.

"Something like that."

"And what will hiding in your telephone box do about that?"

"We're not hiding. Who said anything about hiding? I certainly didn't. We're protecting her."

She raised a skeptical eyebrow. "By shutting her out of your telephone box."

"It's not a telephone box. It's a Tardis."

"What?"

"Time And Relative Dimension In Space. T.A.R.D.I.S."

She looked blank for a moment, then shot me a curious look. "You changed the subject. Why's that?"

"If Amy got a good look at the Tardis, it might trigger her memories. They'd come flooding back all at once. It would _hurt_, and could quite possibly unhinge her mind. I have to figure out what took her memories, then find out how to give them back without driving the Ponds mad."

"Just go out there and talk to her!"

That drew a laugh from me as I stood at the console, still fiddling with the controls. "I can't do that right now."

Looking exasperated, she headed for the door. "Fine. I'm going to talk to her, then."

"No, you don't understand!" I ran after her, dodging around the console on my way. "Don't open that-" I wasn't quite quick enough. She gave me an annoyed look over her shoulder and stepped out of the Tardis.

Into thin air.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Hello! Firstly, apologies must be made for the lateness of this chapter; things have just been crazy. Secondly, thanks to everyone who has reviewed my story. It is always appreciated. Third and lastly, multiple persons have suggested that I lengthen the chapters- hopefully this one is to your satisfaction. ;) Thank you!

* * *

><p>I lunged, crashing to the floor- and managing to grab hold of the girl's wrist. Slowly, painfully, I hauled her inside. She scrambled to sit against a wall, tucking her knees up to her chest and trembling. I shut the door and glowered at her.<p>

"What do you think you were doing? You could have gotten yourself killed! Why didn't you listen to me? Why doesn't _anyone_ ever listen to me?"

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes, and went to stand by the console. I had to stay calm, for the Ponds' sakes. Had to think straight, be clever. A voice interrupted my thoughts. A scared voice. "What was that? Where are we?"

"We're roughly 900 meters above eighteenth century England," I said coldly. "And I told you not to open that door." I jabbed a finger towards the door, my voice rising despite my efforts. "Which you ignored. You are a _guest_ here, and if you want to stay alive, you have to _listen._ My box, my rules."

She stood up, her cheeks flushed with an anger that also banished her fear. Or temporarily silenced it, at any rate. "Well I didn't ask you to drag me in here! You pulled me. If I'm a guest, that makes you my host- and you'd best start acting like one. For instance, you could stop yelling at someone you haven't even introduced yourself to."

I sputtered, unable to come up with a snappy reply. "You don't- that was- but-" Then I stopped, fuming silently for a moment. I sighed. She _did _have a point. "Okay. So. What's your name?"

"Emma Baker."

"Pleased to meet you, Emma. I'm the Doctor," I said, inclining my head in a slight bow and waiting for the inevitable question.

"_The_ Doctor... There's thousands of doctors out there, and you expect to be recognized by just your title. So, no name, Dr. Such-and-So?"

Now that really was interesting. I took a good look at her and nodded once. "Emma Baker. You're different. Different is good. Keeps things from getting boring."

After a moment of heavy silence, I realized that she was still waiting for an answer. Oh. Right.

"No, no name. Just the Doctor."

"Do you ever wish that you did have a name?"

"Hah! And get confused with all the other John Smiths in the universe? Not likely. Might as well settle down and get a regular job, eh? Spend day after day doing the same old boring things."

Emma met my eyes squarely for a moment, then looked away and changed the subject. "Fair enough. So. We're somewhere above England...in the 1700s?"

"Yes."

"And...how exactly is this possible?"

I rolled my eyes, not turning away from the controls. That button needed pushing, and that lever- no, _that_ one- had to be pulled halfway. If we didn't want to drop out of the sky, that was. The Tardis wasn't comfortable; it wanted to land. "Be patient, girl," I muttered, then spoke to Emma. "You haven't worked it out yet? I've already told you what 'Tardis' means. Come on, Emma. I know you've got a brain, so use it!"

Oh, that was a bit rude- I probably shouldn't do that so much. Emma didn't seem to notice, though. I could almost hear her brain plugging away at the problem, puzzling it out. Impatient, I turned from the controls to watch her. It couldn't be _that_ difficult to understand. Could it? Amy and Rory had gotten used to the idea pretty quickly. But then, they were quite extraordinary themselves, my Ponds.

When Emma spoke she did so slowly, choosing her words with care. "Your Tardis... it's a machine, but probably with some form of sentience or independent intelligence. It can travel through space, disappearing from one point and appearing in another. Though not quite instantly, I think. You can't just push a button; you've got to actually navigate. And if your claim to our whereabouts- well, _when_abouts, I should say- is true, then it can also time travel, presumably taking itself and those inside to any point in time and space. Simply put," a wry smile tweaked her features as she continued, "...it's a magic blue box."

I just stared. I'd had clever companions before, oh yes, but none were quite like this. And it wasn't just the amount of clever she had, it was the sort of clever it was. No one had ever simply _analyzed_ the Tardis like that before. To tell the truth, it made me a little bit nervous. And very, very excited. When I spoke again, my voice was low and earnest.

"I have been told by several people, some very dear to me, that I shouldn't be alone. I didn't always take that advice. Right now, for example, I'm not travelling with anyone. It's just me. So, Emma Baker, how would you like to come with me?"

"Do I really have a choice? You've already got me inside your magic box. If you don't want to let me go, I've no chance of escaping. You can take me where and when you like. You could drop me off in the middle of Antarctica in the third century and just fly away." She leaned casually against the wall, no trace of fear in her voice or expression.

No one had ever put it that quite that way before. It seemed that I would have to get used to a lot of new things, with her around. But new things could be quite fun, so that was all right. I searched her face, wondering what she was thinking. "And that thought doesn't scare you? I don't scare you?"

She pondered that for a moment, scrutinizing me. "The power that this machine has is just... incredible. Mind-boggling. And you could easily choose to abuse it. Of course the devastation that would follow such a choice terrifies me, right down to my toes. _You_, though- you don't scare me a bit."

"Brilliant! Let's get started then!"

"Hold on, Doctor. I didn't say I wanted to go with you."

My excited, boyish smile sort of froze in place for a moment, then faded. "Oh. I'll just- put you back, then. Or I can take you home if you like. Put you right outside your front door."

Emma raised an eyebrow and folded her arms. "I didn't say I wanted to go home, either."

I frowned at her, puzzled. "Well, you can't _possibly_ want me to take you to third century Antarctica."

A grin spread across her face and lit up her eyes. "Of course not. However, you shouldn't make assumptions so readily. They can be dangerous, you know. Now, to answer your previous question; I _am_ coming with you. I wouldn't pass this up for the whole world!"

I couldn't help it- a laugh burst out. "Ha_ha!_ That's wonderful, but you're gonna get more than the whole world, believe you me because, Emma Baker, you're gonna get the whole _universe_. Now. The Tardis wants to land, so I'm going to take her down and see if I can get a trace on whatever ate the Ponds' memories. Hold on tight, Emma. Geronimo!"


End file.
